Regional Control System With Manual Override

ABSTRACT

A regional monitoring system can establish and store patterns of signals from sensors, or patterns of signals coupled to actuators. Incoming patterns can be compared to pre-stored patterns, and in the presence of disparities therebetween, a message can be sent wirelessly to a displaced individual associated with the region indicative of the disparity. The individual can override a pre-established action associated with one of the pre-stored patterns. Monitoring systems can include security monitoring systems, fire safety monitoring systems or HVAC-type systems.

FIELD

The application pertains to regional monitoring and control systems. More particularly, the application pertains to such systems which notify a user of a detected abnormality so that the user can seek additional information or override a preselected response by the system.

BACKGROUND

As connected home management/control systems become more common, and as eco-systems of connected devices emerge, e.g. ZigBee and z-Wave, there is an opportunity to further build upon the control of certain equipment settings remotely. In fact it is now common place if a homeowner thinks that they may have forgotten to lock a front door to check door lock status using a remote phone via (for example) Honeywell's TOTALCONNECT brand system and TUXEDO brand home control system, and to remotely lock a door using a z-Wave enabled door lock.

Products or systems with learning capabilities do exist and are publicly available. However, known systems do not provide for remote manual exception handling which is important for locks and security.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system in accordance herewith.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While disclosed embodiments can take many different forms, specific embodiments hereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles hereof, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the claims hereof to the specific embodiment illustrated.

In one aspect hereof, a regional control system, installed for example in a residence, can learn and understood the regular patterns of a daily routine associated with the home to detect variations from the learned pattern. A message can be sent to a home-owner's phone to inform that person that: “I see that there is no activity in the home for the past 10 minutes—do you want to lock the front door as usual”. Such communications enable that person to manually override a pre-established operational sequence.

In yet another aspect hereof, a home control system 1) knows time and day 2) knows internal activity and entrance/exit activity 3) knows status of lights, locks, garage doors, shades, temperature etc. and 4) has a “big data” record of the routine activities in a home or building. A TOTALCONNECT brand home security system can send events and video clips to pre-arranged email addresses and (text) phone numbers.

A home control system that determines an exception to a daily routine that the system itself has learned can send a message to one of the pre-arranged email contact points providing a URL for the remote person to manually take or override a preset action. Communicating with the person, for example the home owner, to provide a manual override overcomes the problem when something non-routine occurs, for example, a school closing due to snow.

In a further aspect, an administrative event log for the home control activities can be maintained for each account with time/day combined with any activity in the home. An automated system can review entire system status with historical data for the same sensors and controllers for approximately similar times of day/week. If the database of event sequences is different from the recent action—an email can be sent to the home owner with a link to the log-in screen/automation screen as a reminder.

Those of skill will understand that a variety of control/monitoring systems come within the spirit and scope hereof. For example, regional security systems, life safety monitoring systems, or, HVAC systems can all use the learning processes and manual override capabilities described herein. Further, the type of region being monitored or controlled is not a limitation hereof. Control/monitoring systems as described herein can be used in residential, commercial, or industrial settings all without limitation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 in accordance with the above, System 10 can include a control unit 12 which can be wired or wirelessly coupled to a plurality of sensors, such as 14-1, -2 . . . -i as well as a plurality of actuators such as 16-1, -2 . . . -i. The actuators 16-i can be under the control of unit 12. Alternately, they can be manually activated, as with a manual switch, and feedback a status signal to unit 12.

As those of skill will understand, the sensors 14 and actuators 16 can be installed in a region R being monitored. Without limitation, one type of region is a home or residence.

The control unit 12 can be located at least in part in the region R. For example, the unit 12 can be associated with a manually operable control panel, indicated at 12 a that the home owner can use to control the unit 12 and associated sensors 14 or actuators 16. Unit 12 can be located adjacent to panel 12 a, or, can be displaced therefrom outside of region R and communicate wirelessly with the panel 12 a.

Control unit 12 can also be in communication with a regional data base 20 which might be located in the vicinity of unit 12, or at a displaced location. The data base 20 can include various patterns indicative of behavior of individuals that live at the residence. These can include, without limitation, historical temperature, or lighting patterns, door locking patterns, or, other activities associated with the region R such as, pre-stored event sequences or pre-stored information as to daily routines of those that live at the residence.

The unit 12 can be implemented, at least in part with a programmed processor, such as 12 b and associated control software 12 c. In one aspect, unit 12 can sense and store the patterns associated with life activities of residents at the home including comings and goings, preferred temperatures lighting schedules, throughout the home, and the like without limitation, as noted above.

The unit 12 can also implement comparison, or, pattern recognition processes via circuitry and executable instructions 12 d, wherein newly detected patterns can be compared to pre-stored patterns. The details of such processing are not limitations hereof, except as discussed below. Such processing can also be carried out at a location displaced from one or both of the unit 12 or data base 20.

Advantageously, results of such comparison processing can be forwarded, via one or more computer networks, for example, the Internet I, to displaced residents, or users of the region. Those individuals can receive alerts or messages remotely via smart phones P, lap top computers L, tablet computers T, or any other Internet or wirelessly enabled communication device, without limitation.

Where current event sequence(s) are different from similar stored event sequences, that message can be sent via the network I to one or more of the units P, L or T, without limitation alerting the individual as to the detected variance. On receipt, the individual can manually override any pre-stored response, which might be based on numerous earlier situations, but which does not apply in the present instance. Hence, in embodiments hereof, the available manual override capability overcomes the problem of something non-routine occurring, which needs special attention.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.

Further, logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be add to, or removed from the described embodiments. 

1. A system comprising: a regional control system coupled via a wireless or a wired medium to a plurality of sensors and actuators; a data base coupled to the control system wherein one or more of discernable events, regional history event sequences, or, behavior patterns can be stored therein and are accessible to the control system wherein the control system, in response to detecting a variation between a stored item, and a corresponding current item, can wirelessly, at least in part, transmit an advisory message to a displaced location, and responsive thereto, an activity altering communication can be sent to the control system.
 2. A system as in claim 1 where the control system, responsive at least to signals from the sensors, implements a pattern defining process and stores a resultant pattern in the data base.
 3. A system as in claim 2 wherein current sensor signals are evaluated by the pattern defining processor to produce a current pattern, wherein the current pattern is compared to at least one stored pattern.
 4. A system as in claim 3 wherein, responsive to results of the comparison, a notification message is transmitted to a displaced location for presentation to a displaced user.
 5. A system as in claim 3 wherein the regional control system is selected from a class which contains at least, a security monitoring system, a fire safety system, or a HVAC-type system.
 6. A system as in claim 1 where the control system, responsive at least to signals coupled to the actuators, implements a pattern defining process and stores a resultant actuator related pattern in the data base.
 7. A system as in claim 1 which includes pattern establishing circuitry, responsive to at least one of, signals from sensors, or signals coupled to activators, and pattern recognition circuitry whereby a newly established pattern can be compared to a pre-stored pattern.
 8. A system as in claim 7 wherein the activity altering communication can cause the system to lock or unlock a door, or window, adjust a temperature setting, turn at least one light on or off, activate at least one camera, receive signals from a microphone or direct signals to be output via an audible or visual communications device.
 9. A system as in claim 7 wherein the pattern establishing circuitry and the pattern recognition circuitry communicate wirelessly via a network with the system.
 10. A method comprising: providing a data base which includes a plurality of pre-stored patterns associated with a particular region being monitored; responding to received signals which correspond to a current pattern of an event and creating a corresponding pattern indicative thereof; and comparing the corresponding pattern to at least one pre-stored pattern, and where a variance is detected, communicating with a displaced communications unit and forwarding thereto an alert indicating the existence of the variance, and providing an opportunity to receive, from that communications unit, at least one instruction accepting or rejecting a pre-established output based on the pre-stored pattern.
 11. A method as in claim 10 wherein forwarding thereto an alert comprises forwarding a selected URL to the displaced communications unit.
 12. A method as in claim 11 wherein providing an opportunity to receive at least one instruction from the communications unit comprises enabling a user of the communications unit to accept an exceptional condition by entering one of a single click, or, a single key instruction into the communications unit.
 13. A method as in claim 10 wherein the corresponding pattern comprises an exceptional condition, and, forwarding thereto an alert comprises forwarding a selected URL to the displaced communications unit and enabling a user of the communications unit to accept the exceptional condition by entering one of a single click, or, a single key instruction into the communications unit.
 14. A method as in claim 13 which includes providing a wireless communications unit selected from a class which includes a wireless telephone, a tablet computer, or, a laptop computer to which the URL would be transmitted.
 15. A system comprising: a data base which includes a plurality of pre-stored patterns associated with a region being monitored; a control unit which can receive signals from a region of interest which corresponds to a current pattern of an event in the region and can create a pattern indicative thereof; and circuitry to compare the correspond pattern to at least one pre-stored pattern, and where a variance is detected, circuitry communicating with a displaced communication unit and forwarding thereto an alert indicating the existence of the variance, and providing an opportunity to receive, from that communications unit, at least one instruction accepting or rejecting a pre-established output based on the pre-stored pattern.
 16. A system as in claim 15 wherein the alert comprises a selected URL and the communications unit is selected from a class which includes a wireless telephone, a tablet computer, or, a laptop computer to which the URL would be transmitted and wherein the event comprises an exceptional condition which can be accepted by entering one of a single click, or, a single key instruction into the communications unit. 